


Urzai Week 2020 One-shots

by rainbow_salt



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Vampire, F/M, Fire Nation Royal Family, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Murder, Urzai Week, Urzai Week 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:55:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27210835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbow_salt/pseuds/rainbow_salt
Summary: Collections of one shots for the Urzai Week 2020.None of the chapters are actually connected to each other, going so far as that they are the different interpretations of the same ship. Some of them canon compliant, while others are definitely set in an alternate universe or in a different setting. Some of them are closer to fluff, while some might be a bit darker.But if you like the ship, you can probably find at least one that would capture your interest.
Relationships: Ozai/Ursa (Avatar)
Kudos: 31





	1. Day 2: Theatre

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this is my first time ever participating in a shipping week, and I am really thrilled. I always miss those by a month or two, and even though I am one day late to this one, this is literally the closest I’ve ever gotten. I found that this week is Urzai week totally by accident, and thought, hey, why not participate in something like this for the first time? So, here it is. It is pretty short, but I wanted to keep it that way. The other chapters for the other prompts might be longer or even shorter depending on the plot. I don’t know if I will ever post a chapter for the day one since I missed it. Maybe at the end of the week? Anyways, I hope you enjoy it!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ursa just wants to watch her favorite play in peace, Ozai on the other hand, has different plans.

“Love Amongst the Dragons is playing tonight.” Ursa says happily as they are sitting on the beach of Ember Island. “Can we see it? Please?”

“Again?” He sighs but wraps an arm around his wife. In all honestly, he finds the play extremely dull, and the atrocious performance of the Ember Island Players doesn’t help either.

But his wife seems to enjoy it, no matter how many times she’s seen it. No matter how badly it is acted. Ursa certainly has a love for theatre, and a specific fondness for that play.

“Fine, we can go.” He says finally, worst case scenario he can just sleep through it.

“Thank you!” Ursa chimes as she places a quick kiss on his cheek, and he enjoys it even though he wouldn’t say that out loud.

...

Fifteen minutes in and he can barely keep his eyes open. Even though he pays no particular attention to the play, he is pretty sure he can recite the exact scene off the top of his head.

His wife is sitting perked up in her seat next to him, watching the scene attentively, gripping his arm every so often and shaking him slightly to wake him up.

“I can’t believe you almost slept through the entirety of act one.” She says later in a pretended scold. They are sitting in a secluded area that is reserved only for the members of the royal family.

“And I can’t believe only the act one is over yet.” He responds.

“At least try a little.” She crosses her arms as he leans into her to whisper, his lips brushing up against her ear.

“I am sure you can find ways to keep me awake.” He smirks, seeing that her face took the color of her robes.

She hides her face and shushes him as the act two starts, soon realizing that Ozai has no intention to make her watch the play in peace, his hand running up and down her thigh.

“Pay attention.” She half-heartedly complains as she removes his hand.

“I am.” He leans in once more to kiss her neck, making it harder for Ursa to concentrate on the play. 

His lips are all over her now, her neck, her ear, her jaw... His hand is travelling along her legs, slowly lifting up her skirt, making her feel like her whole body is on fire. It might as well be, given the heat radiating off of her husband, his hands and breath hot against her skin.

She finally leans back in her seat, closing her eyes while she bites her lip to stifle a moan. Ozai has won once again, and she isn’t complaining.

...

Needless to say, Ozai starts to enjoy going to the theatre much more from that day on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was actually pretty anxious to post this, since it is not like my usual writing style at all. Especially since for the most part, I don’t think about their relationship as being fluff-like. It is incredibly hard to write Ozai in character without making him act like a dick, so I did what I could, and I think it turned out alright. Is it a bit cliche? Sure, but this was the first thing that came to my mind. I actually considered making it more smutty, but then decided against it since I can’t write explicit smut for the life of me. That is an area I have to practice more on. I don’t know where I am going with this rambling, and it is turning out to be longer than the chapter itself, so I hope you liked it!


	2. Day 3: Prison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ozai reflects on his relationship with Ursa in his cell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, day three, here it goes. This chapter is Ozai-centric, as you might expect, and it is a darker, and definitely not sweet interpretation of their relationship. I liked the idea of exploring the relationship in different ways, instead of making it like a one big story in the same universe. So, as I said before, none of the chapters are connected with each other, and they are all set in different AUs. Though most of them will be pretty much canon compliant. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it! 
> 
> Warning: There are implications of abuse, but nothing explicitly said.

He sits there, alone and cold,  _powerless and humiliated_.  The guards that bring his food twice a day, the guards that used to serve  _him_ ,  don’t even look at his face now. He is nothing but a lowly prisoner, long gone is the mighty Fire Lord, the  _Phoenix King_ ,  who had trapped the nation inside his burning palm. 

He lets out a sigh, leaning his head against the cold stone wall, he is weak, and he hates knowing that. The absence of his bending makes him feel hollow, his anger and fury that used to fuel it is gone as well, only thing that remains is bitterness.

He briefly wonders how everything has come to this. His son, his  _ pathetic excuse of a son,  _ is the new Fire Lord, and despite everything, he still comes to visit him every now and then. Which makes him feel immensely more humiliated. Zuko is weak, he always has been. But he is the one who has the throne now, who has the power that  _ he  _ used to have, while Ozai himself is condemned to rot in this cell. So did it really matter in the end?  _ Who is the weak one now? _

His daughter has succumbed to madness, _in a_ _mental institution_ ,  as Zuko once told him. The girl who was destined for greatness, the prodigy, is also confined between walls and locked doors. Ozai can’t help but scoff at the irony. He has always seen himself in his daughter, the ruthless and ambitious younger sibling to a useless older brother.  _ Even in their fall from grace, they are similar.  _

And his wife... He doesn’t even know if she is still alive. 

Zuko asks about her, but he doesn’t respond. He doesn’t have anything to say. She is gone, and he doesn’t have the faintest idea about where she could be. All he knows is the events that led to her leaving.

_ Ursa... _

He whispers the name, and his own voice responds him back. He closes his eyes, his thoughts drifting to his wife.

And no, it is not regret, he doesn’t regret  _anything_ ,  but if he did, the closest thing he would feel to regret would be about letting her leave. 

At that time, it had seemed like the most logical thing to do. She had helped him murder his father to protect her son. She had to go. The throne, in exchange for his father’s life.  _No_. The price he had to pay had never been Azulon’s life, or Zuko’s for the matter. _ It has always been Ursa. _

What is this feeling in his chest when he thinks about her? Why does it  _hurt_?  He doesn’t know, but he clings on the pain. He is so numb that this is the first time he has ever felt something other than an empty, hollow void in such a long time. It is the only thing that makes him feel like he is still human.  _ He loves the feeling and hates it at the same time. _

He lets himself think about her, just to feel that pain again, just to feel  _something_. 

He has never been a particularly good husband, and he knows that. The circumstances under which they got married didn’t help either. She was an obligation his father had imposed on him.  _Get married to the descendant of Avatar Roku and have powerful heirs_.  What a cruel thing to force someone to do, when he isn’t even an heir to the throne! He accepted it,  _of course he did_ , in the hopes that having powerful children would somehow make Azulon reconsider his position as the heir. And because he couldn’t say no to the Fire Lord, that part he doesn’t like reminding himself. How pathetic and weak he felt against his father.

So he took it out on her, broke her like Azulon had broken him. She was beautiful. Ebony hair contrasting with alabaster skin.  _ He found out he liked the contrast between white and purple better.  _

And it made him feel  _powerful_ ,  finally having control over something,  _someone_.  She was scared of him, and he took pleasure in knowing that.

They were the most admired couple in the Fire Nation. When their wedding was announced, every girl wanted to be in Ursa’s place, and every men envied Ozai for getting a girl like that. And she was more than a pretty face. She was obedient, soft spoken, and well-educated despite her common roots, everyone thought so. They were the picture perfect family.

_ He wonders what they would think if they knew what went on behind the closed doors of the palace... _

Such a spirited and fierce girl she was before, but he sucked the life out of her like everything else he touched. He had brought destruction to everything in his life; killed his father, taunted his brother, broke his wife, scarred his son, made his daughter crack under pressure, and revelled in all their misery. And for what? To rot in a prison cell?! 

He is poisonous, and everything he touches decays.

The pang in his chest is here once again. He wants to get rid of it and keep it forever in a bottle both at the same time. 

When he closes his eyes, it is  _ her  _ that he sees. This time, it is  _ her _ turn to torment  _ him _ . He expects her to shout, to spit in his face even. But the woman that comes to life in his imagination is not saying anything. Instead she is doing something  even worse.  She is just smiling.  _And it is the most beautiful thing he had ever seen._

He wonders why he didn’t cause her to smile more often. Why did it always have to be screams and yelling?

And he knows that the only place he can ever see that smile, the only place that he could even be worth of it, is his mind. For she is long gone now... And even if she was actually here, in this very moment, smiling would be the last thing she would do.

He wonders what would he say to her if she was here. Would he apologize for all the pain he caused her? No, because despite everything, he doesn’t regret it. Would he say her that he loves her? No, because love is weakness. And showing love is a display of weakness.

He realizes that he never told her he loved her, of course he didn’t. But he can’t help but think if she would say it back, not out of obligation, but actually meaning it? Knowing that she wouldn’t makes the tightness in his chest grow.

Reality is ugly, reality is cruel. He doesn’t want to think about it. For he feels much more at peace in his imagination, where none of this ever happened,  _ and Ursa is still with him... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, basically Ozai loves Ursa in his own, very twisted way, and now he is realizing that he actually regrets banishing her. I hope I was able to carry that sentiment across, because writing in Ozai’s twisted thoughts is actually hard. I didn’t want him to sound soft, but not entirely cruel either. I hope you enjoyed it!


	3. Day 4: Flames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ursa tends to Ozai's burn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a little late for the day four, but I still wanted to post it. It was hard to find a plot for today’s prompt and I really struggled with it. I was about to give up and just not write anything for today, but then suddenly an idea came to my mind, and I am actually happy with it. I hope you like it as well!
> 
> Warning: Implied and referenced child abuse. 
> 
> (Yeah, I seem to not get away from dark stuff in my writings.)

“How dare you humilate me in front of Father?!” Ozai growls, his hands clenched into fists at his side.

“For the last time, Ozai, I didn’t do anything.” His brother’s voice is still maintaing a level of calm, but it is firmer than it usually is. “You did it yourself.”

“Bullshit! If you hadn’t opened your damn mouth, he wouldn’t have said anything! But you had to, didn’t you?! Always had to be the perfect son?!” Flames start appearing in his fists, but Ozai doesn’t seem interested in putting them out.

Iroh’s eyes dart over to his younger brother’s lit up fists for the briefest moment before he looks at him straight in the eyes.

“Put out the flames, brother.” He scoffs. “ There is no point in fighting.”

“Scared that you will lose?” Ozai asks through gritted teeth.

“Do not provoke me, Ozai. You lack restraint, raw power is not enough to win a fight.”

“I’ll show you restraint!” Ozai roars as he throws a wave of fire at him, Iroh stopping it before it reaches its target.

“Stop this nonsense, Ozai! I won’t fight my brother!” 

He pretends like he didn’t hear that, sending attack after attack at Iroh’s direction, setting a blaze numerous trees and bushes in the royal garden. But Iroh either just masterfully evades them or puts them out with his own flames. He doesn’t strike back.  He doesn’t _want_ to.

“What are you waiting for?! Fight back, you coward!”

_ No, he won’t.  _ He refuses to stoop that low. He won’t fight someone who he shares the same blood.

But Ozai is relentless, it is as if he is taking out the years worth of anger, not only directed towards Iroh, but towards their father as well, and maybe even towards  _himself_. 

Whatever the reason might be, Iroh finally has enough.

He can’t just stand there and do nothing as Ozai destroys the garden, he needs to stop him before he does something even worse.

“I said stop it!” He yells, sending a huge shot of fire at him, which catches Ozai off guard.  _He didn’t actually expected Iroh to strike back._ But his concentration has been broken once, and he can’t manage to stop the flames in time. 

His sleeve catches fire, and he doesn’t even realize it before hot flames start searing his skin. A look of shock that soon gives way to a familar pain goes across his face, as Iroh’s eyes widen in realization of what he has done.

Ozai’s face wrinkles as he hisses out in pain, the smell of burning flesh fills out both of their nostrils. The smell makes him sick.  _ It is all too familiar.  _

“Ozai... I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to—“ Iroh regrets ever being tempted by his brother’s childish provocations. “Let me have a look at it...”

“Stay where you are!” Ozai yells as he blocks out his way with a fire ball to prevent him from approaching. 

He puts out the remaining flames in his robe’s already charred sleeve, but he refuses to look at his arm.

_It isn’t the pain, it is the memories it brings_.

“How dare you?!” Ozai charges at him once again after he puts out the wall. But his forms are more sloppy now, the burning on his arm and the fury inside him keeping from fully concentrate. His flames are bigger, hotter, wilder...

But it is the look in his brother’s eyes that truly terrifies Iroh. He realizes that if Ozai got a chance to kill him in this very moment, he would, without thinking twice about it. But he sees something else in there as well, something he hadn’t seen since their childhood.

He furiously wants to walk away from this, to stop fighting. But Ozai doesn’t let him. It is getting harder and harder for him to stop his brother’s vengeful flames, he is growing tired, while Ozai’s fury seems to give him more strenght every passing minute.

Their little commotion is noticed, the guards hesitantly come to separate them as they had been ordered to. Iroh is glad, Ozai is less so. 

He doesn’t fight them, in fact, willingly goes with them, as they took him away from Ozai. Meanwhile Ozai tries to set them on fire to make them let go of him, but there is no point in resisting since Iroh got away. He would get no benefit from burning these guards. He shakes them off, walking towards his chambers with angry strides.

...

Ursa is sitting in front of a mirror, brushing her hair as Ozai slams the door in anger. She jumps up in her seat and turns to look at him.

“Ozai... What’s wrong?” She asks softly, noticing the furious expression on his face. 

He doesn’t respond, pacing up and down the room as he tries to calm himself down. “ _Stupid bastard. It is all his fault_.”  He mutters to himself under his breath, not even knowing himself if he meant his brother or his father.

“Who? What’s going on?” Ursa gets up from her chair and walks up to him. “Tell me what happened.” She says in a reassuring tone as she places hand on his arm, only to see that he flinches in pain.

It is only then that she notices his charred sleeve, and the fresh burn underneath. “Ozai...” Her breath hitches in her throat. She has never seen a burn so up close before.

“ _Don’t_. ” The last thing he needs is her pity.

“Did  _ he  _ do this?” 

Ozai grimaces at the implication, of course, _she knows_. For the most part, he would make sure that it wouldn’t scar, a prince had to look perfect after all. But there had been times where he hadn’t been particularly careful, blinded by rage. 

“Not this time.” He says through clenched teeth. “It was Iroh.”

“ _ Iroh?! _ ” There is a genuine shock on his wife’s face. “But he would never hurt you!”

Ozai doesn’t like that she seems to vouch for his brother so easily, but doesn’t say anything. “He didn’t mean to.” He sighs, not wanting to get into detail of their argument.

Ursa just nods slightly, not really knowing what that means. Instead, she takes his arm and observes it, and Ozai lets her. The look of melting flesh fills her eyes with tears as she thinks about how much that must hurt, and how strong Ozai is standing against the pain.  _ How used to it he is...  _

She quickly blinks a few times to make the tears disappear and looks at her husband. “It needs to be treated...” She says quietly. “By a proper healer. You can’t just pretend like it is nothing. Go to the hospital wing.”

“No.” Ozai’ reply is short and simple. He knows as well as her that a proper treatment is required to prevent a possible infection, but his stupid pride doesn’t let him. He had promised himself the last time, when he was just a kid, that he would never go there again for a burn.

Ursa sighs quietly, knowing that she won’t be able to change his mind. She lifts up one hand and puts it on his cheek, making him look at her. “Why can’t you just let go of your pride?” 

“You don’t understand...” Ozai sighs, closing his eyes.

“Then tell me...”She whispers. “I would like knowing about you.” She knows he won’t, but tries anway. Feeling actually glad that doesn’t since she doesn’t know if she can handle it.

Ozai doesn’t respond, taking a shaky breath. “It’s nothing you should know about.” His voice is firm.

“Don’t do this. Don’t push me away like you do everyone.” She gently cups his face and places a kiss on his lips. His face momentarily softens.

“At least let  _ me  _ treat it.” Ursa offers after a few minutes of silence.

“It is fine. I don’t need it.” He turns his face away from her, walking up to the window.

“Maybe you don’t. But  _ I  _ do.” Ursa protests. “It will make me feel better. Please let me at least do this.” 

“Fine... Do whatever you want.” Ozai sighs, sitting on the bed. He wouldn’t admit it, but he is grateful.

Ursa gives him a reassuring smile as she walks over to the door. “I’ll be back in a minute. I need to get the proper ointments and medicines from the hospital wing.” She quickly adds when she sees the look on his face. “Don’t worry, if someone asks, I am not getting them for you.”

...

About ten minutes later, she is back in the room, sitting beside Ozai on the bed. He bites his lip to not make any sound while she presses a wet cloth to his arm. She is very gentle with him, he had to give her credit for that. He barely feels her hands, still, it hurts, and in the end he gives in, hissing in pain.

“Sorry...” She says quietly.

“It’s okay...” He manages to say, his jaw clenched.

“When I was little girl, I would get hurt all the time. I was a naughty kid, I would run around chasing other kids, climb trees, keep falling down.” She starts speaking to distract him. “I would always come home with bruises and wounds on my knees, and my mother would always scold me before she would sit me down and start taking care of my wounds.” She smiles fondly at the memory. “She was always gentle, but she would not forget to chastisize me as well. She would say that if I came home injured one more time, she wouldn’t treat it anymore. But she always would.”

It is working, Ozai listens to her like he is in a trance, not feeling that she is done with the wet cloth and started applying the ointment now.

“I would always promise her that I won’t do it again, but we both would know that it wasn’t the truth.” She continues speaking. “Then she would smile and stroke my hair, making me feel better. She would start talking about her day to distract me from the pain, and it would always work.” She is working quickly, her touch is very light, as she finishes wrapping up the bandage around his arm. 

“Okay, it is all done now.” Ursa speaks softly, as she places his arm on his lap. 

Ozai looks dumbfounded at his arm. It is all bandaged up, and it actually hurts a lot less. He is amazed at how she managed to do it without him barely realizing.

“I learned it from my mother.” She smiles, as if she heard what he was thinking. 

“... Thank you.” He says in a quiet voice, gratitude is not something he is used to expressing, especially when he is genuine about it.

She nods and leans in, placing a quick kiss on his cheek. “I am just glad that I could help.”

He pulls her towards himself as he kisses her, running his fingers through her soft hair, and she smiles against his lips. 

Both of them jump and pull away as there is a firm knock on the door.

“Come in.” Ozai calls out, not bothering to hide the annoyance in his voice.

“I am sorry I disturbed you, Prince Ozai...” The guard at the door speaks breathlessly, as his eyes dart between the Prince and his wife, which just earns an involuntary eye roll from Ozai.

“Just say what you have to say and leave.”

The guard visibly swallows, he looks pretty shaken from whatever he has witnessed before he came here. “Fire Lord Azulon demands to speak with you...” He hesitates. “It is about the  _ incident  _ in the garden...” 

He winces instinctively when Ozai stands up, but the Prince just sighs, resigned. “Fine. I will be there in a minute. Just leave.”

The guard quickly leaves after nodding respectfully, glad that the previous anger of Ozai seems to be subsided.

Ozai puts on an emotionless face as he walks over to the door, he has forgotten how their stupid fight has messed up the royal garden. Azulon must be  _ furious _ . And of course, his second son is always there for him to put the blame on. Though this time, he  _ is  _ actually to blame.

“Ozai...” Ursa feels like she needs to say something, but it is all forgotten when he catches a glimpse of fear in her husband’s eyes.

“It’s fine. I am not a little kid anymore.” He sounds more as if he is trying to convince himself than Ursa.

She slowly nods as he leaves. But she doesn’t take the rest of the bandages and ointments back to the hospital wing, _just in case they might be needed again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was weirdly the longest chapter, even though I struggled the most with the plot. I realize that all of these chapters were pretty much Ozai-centric, but what can I say? He is an interesting character to write about. It is fun to try and humanize him even just a bit. The initial idea was just Iroh accidently burning him and Ozai being too stubborn and proud to get it properly treated. But then of course, I needed to make it dark and add a reason why. And honestly, Azulon abusing him doesn’t really seem that far fetched to me, so I just went with the idea. Let me know what you think about it!


	4. Day 5: Anniversary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On their first anniversary after her banishment, Ursa thinks about Ozai.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little bit late, but here is day five. Honestly, writing daily is tiring, but I am having a lot of fun with this. This chapter, once again went in a different direction than I first thought, but I kind of like it. After the latest chapters, I am happy to say that this is Ursa-centric. This one is definitely an AU, so definitely not canon compliant in any shape or form. I tried to make it make sense, and I hope I actually managed. Please do let me know what you think about it.

_ One year.  _ It has been more than one year since the tragic death, no,  _murder_ ,  in the royal family, and since Ursa left. She still remembers that day as if it was yesterday. How she made that poison that would kill him, how she said goodbye to her children, and how she disappeared into the shadows to never be seen again.

Her heart aches at the memory, she misses them. And she misses  _him_ ,  despite everything. 

She tries not to blame herself for the events that occurred, but there is always that small voice in her head that says “ _it didn’t have to be this way_.”  She could’ve acted differently, she could’ve changed things, but she did the first thing she could think of, acting on a motherly instinct.

_ And now she will forever bear the guilt of her actions. _

Even one year later, there are many things that she regrets, but the rational side of her knows that there was barely anything she could do. She regrets having his blood on her hands, but knows she had to do it to save her son. She regrets not taking her kids with her, but knows that they would track them down and take them from her by force. They still belong to the royal family, she, on the other hand, has long been dismissed.

So she tries everything she can do to silence that voice that keeps saying she didn’t have to kill him.  _She had to_.  She wouldn’t be able to reason with him, she had already tried that.

She knows about the rumors that link her to the unexpected death, but the royal palace does its best to quash them, talking about her disappeareance as an unfortunate event that nobody saw coming. 

Thankfully, here behind the secure walls of Ba Sing Se, no one knows her. And she is safe from any possible harm that may come from the palace, though she doubts anyone wants to harm her. She is insignificant now, just like she used to be. So she gets a new identity, finds a job that she earns little from, and spends the rest of her days in relative calmness. 

She even manages to forget about everyting sometimes.

But today is not one of these days. Today is the anniversary of their marriage, and she can’t stop thinking about him. This is the first ever anniversary that they were not able to spend together, first of many. It is going to be that way until she dies.

She thinks about the day they got married, how shy and scared she was when she was taken from her small village and was forced to dive head first into a life in a lavish palace, how he was everything she had expected and nothing like how she had thought he would be like at the same time. She thinks about the man she grew to love despite his coldness and cruelty, how he was different when he was with her. 

_ And now everything is ruined forever. _

She closes her eyes as she thinks about the day that completely changed her life.

_ “You are lying! Dad would never do that to me!” She hears her son’s voice from his room, it sounds accusing and hurt at the same time.  _

_ She enters the room as her eyes dart between her two kids. “Your father would never do what to you?” She asks worriedly. “What’s going on here?” She looks especially at Azula, waiting for an answer. _

_ “I don’t know.” He daughter quickly shakes her head, but Ursa can see that she is trying to lie her way out of the situation. _

_ She takes her by the arm, leading her outside of the room. “It’s time for a talk.” _

_ And nothing in the world could prepare her for what came out of her daughter’s mouth that day. The words, so ugly and so wrong, still ringing in her ears. They still haunt her to this day, they, and everything else that happened after. _

_ “Dad’s going to kill Zuko.” Azula’s words make Ursa’s eyes widen in shock. What makes it even worse is the fact that the worry in her daughter’s voice sounds somehow... fake. _

_ “Young lady, this is not funny!” Her voice is firm. Surely, Azula must be playing a sick joke. Ozai wouldn’t do that. Would he...? She hates that she can’t be sure anymore. He has changed a lot in the last few years. It’s almost to the degree that she can’t recognize him anymore. _

_ “I am telling the truth.” Azula protests, she seems calm. It scares Ursa.  _

_ “I heard dad and grandfather talk in the throne room. Dad wanted him to take back uncle’s birthright since his only son died, and grandfather got really mad about it for some reason.” She shrugs, seeming to not understand why Azulon would be upset about this. _

_ “Go on.” Ursa is shocked that she manages to speak, her heart feels like it is sinking in her chest with every word Azula says. _

_ “He wanted dad to experience the same pain as uncle did, by killing his own first born. And dad accepted.” She pauses after she finishes talking. “Mom, what’s gonna happen now?” _

_ Ursa feels frozen, the world feels like it slowed down, the blood in her veins is running cold. She feels like her entire world crashed down onto her. _

_ “Go to your room.” It takes her some time to find her voice again. “I’ll go and have a talk with your father.” _

She remembers storming into Ozai’s room, demanding an answer. She needed him saying that this wasn’t true. It was one of Azula’s twisted pranks. But unfortunately, she remembers her husband’s response well.

“ _There is nothing I can do, Ursa.” He sounds genuinely sad. “I can’t defy him.”_

_ “I don’t care! You brought this onto us, you need to fix it somehow!” She is on the verge of tears, her voice is shaking.  _

_ He reaches out to her, placing a hand on her cheek. _

_ “No, don’t touch me!” Ursa pushes his hand away. “I won’t let you murder our son in cold blood!” _

_ “In cold blood?!” He asks incredulous. “Do you think I will enjoy doing it? I never wanted this to happen!” _

_ “It is all because of your stupid lust for power!” The tears are falling freely from her eyes now. “It made you lose sight of who you are. You are not the same man I used to know!” _

_ “I am doing this for us, Ursa.” His voice almost sounds like he is pleading. “Once I get what’s finally mine, you will be by my side, while I rule the world! We will be happy.” _

_ “You are deranged! Do you think you will actually be the Fire Lord? Azulon would never let it happen. And even if he did, I will never be happy, knowing that you killed our son!” _

_ “What choice do I have?! There is no point to this argument. What’s done is done. Father would never change his mind even if I went and pleaded for him to reconsider!” _

_ “Then I will do it. I will go any lenght necessary to keep Zuko safe!” She turns around and leaves the room, slamming the door behind her back. _

Remembering these is far too painful, she feels her eyes stinging. This was the last proper conversation she had with Ozai. She is angry at him for agreeing to go through with taking his own son’s life, but she is much more angrier at herself for still loving him. What kind of a mother is she? How can she still love the man that agreed to killing his own flesh and blood.

_ “My Lord.” She bows respectfully, though the only thing she wants to do is to spit on his face.  _

_ He barely acknowledges her presence, making a small grunt. _

_ “Please reconsider...” She begs, knowing that he knows what she is talking about. “Zuko has done nothing wrong. Please, don’t punish him because of his father’s disrespect. I am begging you.” _

_ He doesn’t ask how she learnt about it, there is no point. “I am afraid I can’t do that, Ursa.” His voice is stern but not completely cold. “Don’t take it personally, it has nothing to do with you, or Zuko. In fact, I would prefer him alive than dead. But unfortunately, he is just a meager sacrifice to teach Ozai that he should know his place.” _

_ “A meager sacrfice?!” Ursa snaps, lifting her gaze up from the ground and facing the man before her. “It is your grandson that you speak so casually about murdering!” _

_ “Be careful with how you speak to me, girl.” He is still calm, but his words are a warning, they are cold and filled with a promise of cruelty. “I wouldn’t want to do anything to harm your beauty.” _

_ Ursa almost laughs. “As if you would care! You are a monster for wanting to kill your grandson! Does it make it better if you don’t want to hurt me?!” She knows she is crossing the line, but she speaks freely without thinking of the consequences. _

_ “Get out.” He orders. “I have nothing else to say.” _

_ “Fire Lord Azulon—“ _

_ “I said get out!” The flames roar and she has no choice but to obey. _

She stands in front of her window, looking at the night sky, she remembers well the desperation she felt that day. She still feels that same pang in her chest, and for a moment she can’t breathe. She takes her head out of the window and desperately breathes in the fresh air, as if it could help freeing her soul from that burden. It works a little. She closes her eyes again once she is feeling relatively calm.

_ She goes to her room, crying her eyes out as she doesn’t know what to do. Then she cries even harder once she realizes what must be done.  _

_ It has to be done, there is no other way. It has to be this way, or her son is going to die, and she can’t allow that. As she said to Ozai before, she will do whatever she must to protect Zuko, even if it means her hands will be bloody now. She just wishes that it wouldn’t have _ _come down to this. _

_ She knows she will regret this as long as she is alive, but anything is better than living with knowing that she could’ve done something to prevent the death of her son. _

_ And she can do something. _

_ She gets up with a newfound determination, trying not to actually think about what she is doing. But she knows she is creating death, as she puts the herbalism skills she learnt from her mother to test.  _

_ She hates how easy it comes to her, creating a poison shouldn’t be that easy. Taking someone’s life shouldn’t be that easy. Is she actually any different from Azulon or Ozai? _

_ The poison is done in little time, it is perfect for the job, colorless, odorless, tasteless. Looking at the small vial makes her stomach turn upside down, but it is too late to change her mind now. She will do it, she will put the poison into his drink, she will kill him. _

_ Ozai is going to die tonight... _

And what kind of a person is she? It is the only thought that lingers in her head right now, even one year later. What kind of a person still loves the man she murdered? The man that was so ready to actually go through with killing his own son?

The image of her husband’s lifeless body doesn’t leave her vision. But she tries to get rid of her guilt by telling herself it is better than seeing her son’s lifeless body.  _ A meager sacrifice,  _ as Azulon has put it. 

Even though she will never see her son again, it helps her find a little bit of peace at night, knowing that he is alive. 

She knew she had to leave the palace as soon as the deed was done. Azulon would certainly know that she was the one who killed Ozai. And even though she thinks he wouldn’t care about his second son’s death, he still can’t let a murderer live among them. So she left, leaving her kids behind, because it is where they belong, whether she likes it or not. She can’t take their lives away from them.

Still, she wishes she could’ve taken them with her. She knows Azulon won’t harm Zuko, he had no intention to. And now that Ozai is out of the picture, he doesn’t have any reason to, as long as he plays by the rules. 

They just need to hang on for few more years, Azulon practically has one foot in the grave.  _ How did she become so cruel as to think that?  _

And then Iroh will take the throne, everything will be better, her children will be happy with their uncle, and maybe in a year or two, they will forget about her.

She tells herself that one day she will come back for them. But what right does she have to just march back into their lives after years of being absent? No, she will never see them again, just like she will never see Ozai again.  _ And it hurts. _

She usually puts all thoughts about him to the back of her mind, but just for tonight, she lets herself think about him. She remembers the look of betrayal in his eyes as he realized what she did to him. She hates that this is the last memory she has of him.

So she tries to think of the happier times that they had together, a bittersweet smile passes her face as tears gather in her eyes.

“Happy anniversary...” She whispers into the night sky, a single tear rolling off her cheek. 


	5. Day 6: Regal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crown Princess Ursa doesn't want to go through with an arranged marriage, and just wants to spend well the last days of her freedom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An AU where Ursa is the Princess of the Fire Nation, and Ozai is a common Fire Nation citizen. I might actually turn this into a full story someday, who knows? And yes, I made Ozai kind of OOC, since I think he would be different if he wasn’t born into royalty. Anyways, writing two chapters in a day was really exhausting, but I hope you like the result!

Her father says that she is to be married. Ursawants to protest but doesn’t. Even the Princess is powerless against the orders of the Fire Lord.

The idea of marriage sounds like a burden, a chain to drag around that will limit her freedom. Something that will turn her into a vessel for making heirs, instead of an all-powerful princess.

She is the only child of the Fire Lord, so she knows very well that it is her duty to her nation to get married to a nobleman and have children that one day will rule the nation.

But knowing is not the same as wanting. If she is going to get married, she wants to marry for love, not out of obligation.

The worst part is that she is can’t postpone it, claiming that none of her suitors are good enough to be her husband, because she is already bethrothed to her childhood friend,  _Ikem_. 

She likes him, but a good friend is all he will ever be. There is no spark between them, and the idea of having children with him makes her visibly cringe.

The eventual marriage between them was arranged from the moment they were born, but it was only recently revealed to them. And it makes her even angrier, it feels like their friendship was fake all along. It causes her to be angry with Ikem, but she knows that he didn’t get a say in this either. He sees her only as a friend too, and it is a relief for her. At least, his emotions is not something she will have to deal with.

As she is sitting in her room, the walls of the palace feels like they are closing in on her, the air is stifling. She feels like she will suffocate if she doesn’t get out. All she wants to do is to enjoy the last few weeks of her freedom.  _ Is that too much to ask? _

She calls for one of her most trusted maids, she was always like a big sister to her. She expresses her wish to go out into the city, and the kind maid provides her with some of her own clothes so that she could disguise herself as a commoner.

Ursa is grateful for everything she does.

She is not worried about actually being recognized for her face, she was always sheltered behind the walls of the royal palace, she can count the times she had been in front of the public with the fingers of one hand. 

But still, she puts up her hood, and slips out.

Being among the people feels strange but good at the same time. She finds herself wishing her life was like theirs, simple and peaceful. No arranged marriages, no feeling trapped, no pressure to rule a nation someday... And she feels incredibly selfish for feeling this way.

She tries to keep the thoughts away from her mind, enjoying the crowded streets, tasting various spices from little shops on the street, pretending like she belongs here. Still, she doesn’t actually engage in conversation with anyone, these simple moments are two precious to put at risk.

That is until she crashes into a man while looking around dreamily, causing herself to fall down and the man to drop the bag of fruits he has been carrying.

The man growls annoyedly as he kneels down to pick up the scattered contents of his bag. “Why don’t you watch where you are g—“ His words are cut abruptly as he lifts his gaze up and looks at her.

Ursa doesn’t know how to react for a moment, she isn’t used to anyone speaking to her like that. Though seeing no special treatment makes her kind of happy. “I am so sorry. Let me help you.” She says as she sits up on her knees.

“It’s fine. I’ll handle it.” This time his voice is softer. She has a chance to observe him properly for the first time, and can’t help but blush a little as she actually realizes how handsome he is.

He seems to be around her age, jet black hair tied into a half bun, revealing the chiseled structure of his face. And his amber eyes... It is like they are staring right into her soul.

She blushes and averts her gaze once she realizes that she has just got caught staring, but the man doesn’t seem bothered, he almost looks  _amused_.

After a moment awkward silence, she clears her throat and forces herself to look at him again despite the embarassment. “What is your name?” She asks, for some reason feeling desparate to know.

“Ozai.” He replies, getting up from the ground finally, as he does a small bow with his head, helping her get up as well. “What’s yours?”

“Ur—“ She immedietly cuts herself off, chances are, the name of the Princess is pretty well-known in the Fire Nation, and he can just put two and two together. “Noriko.” She makes up on the spot. “My name is Noriko.”

“ _Noriko_...  Like the Dragon Empress from the play Love Amongst the Dragons?” He asks, examining her face. For some reason, she looks incredibly familiar.

Her eyes light up as soon as he says that. “You know that play?” It is one of her all time favorites.

“My mother and brother really like it. Thanks to them, I’ve seen it more than a hundred times.”

“It is actually my favorite play.” Ursa speaks with a smile, though it makes her feel bad to lie to him about her real name.

They walk in the streets together, talking about theatre, books, and life in general, and despite being extra careful about not revealing something about her true identitiy, she finds it suprisingly easy to talk to this stranger she met less than an hour ago.

“I’ve actually never seen you around before...” He says finally, his tone isn’t accusing, but a little suspicion is evident in it.

“Oh, I am not from the Capital.” She lies, trying her best to not avert her eyes. “I am just visiting.”

“And where do you come from?” He is really curious about this strange girl.

“A small town, away from the city.” She shrugs. “You wouldn’t even know about it’s existence. It is very insignificant.” She finds herself wishing that it was actually the truth.

He just nods, deciding not to push it. He has a feeling that she doesn’t want to talk much about her life.

After some more time filled with chatting and laughter, he finally realizes it. He knows why she looks familiar.

“Call me crazy, but I think you look a lot like the Princess.”

Ursa just chuckles nervously. “Yeah, you can’t even imagine how many times I’ve been told that.” She plays it off as a joke, and thankfully, he buys it.

“You are beautiful.” He says after a quiet moment. “I hope I don’t sound too forward.”

Her face becomes bright pink because of his compliment. “Not at all.” She manages to say. “If anything, I think the same about you.”

They are away from the busy streets of the Capital now, around the entrance of the woods. She hadn’t realized that they have been talking for such a long time. It must’ve been hours.

He turns to look at her, and they both just stand there, facing each other. The distance between their bodies is so little, but she can feel it as if it was made of a solid material. She can feel his warm breath against her lips, his eyes much more enchanting up close.

She is not sure who was the one to close that distance, but it is gone in the blink of an eye. Their lips meet and she feels a surge of adrenaline wash over her body. Kissing Ozai is electrifying.

She has never kissed anyone before, she doesn’t quite know what to do, just acting on instinct. Ozai, on the other hand, seems to know what he is doing, he seems to be skilled and experienced.

His arms are wrapped around her waist, their bodies are pressed together now. She can hear the beat of his heart, beating fast along with her own, she can feel the firm muscles of his chest and abdomen under her fingertips.

A quiet moan escapes her throat as his tongue enters her mouth, and she feels him smirk against her lips. She is glad that he can’t see her right now, she can’t even imagine how red her face must be.

She lifts her hands and tangles them into his silky black hair, amazed at how soft it is.

She realizes that they backed away into a tree only when she feels her back pressing against the tree bark.  _When did this happen?_

It’s not that she is complaining, this is the best and most free that she has ever felt in her whole life, and a single thought crosses her clouded mind;  _ she wants him.  _

And she guesses that he feels the same, judging by the hardness that’s pressing against her leg. Her face is hot, even her entire body feels like it is burning. 

_ What are you doing? _

“Wait, stop!” She says breathlessly, putting a hand on his chest to maintain at least some distance between them, if it isn’t for that distance, she is not sure if she can control herself. “I am sorry... I- I can’t do this.”

_What was she even thinking_?  She is to be married in a week, why is she kissing a man she met today, in the woods?

Different emotions flash across his eyes, but in the end he is almost looking...  _sad_?

He pulls away and lets her go. “I didn’t intend for it to go this far.” He mutters finally, his voice is thick. “Sorry.”

“No, no it’s not that!” She is still breathing heavily. She wonders what she is looking like right now. “It’s just that...” She takes a deep breath. “I... I am engaged to someone else...”

“I don’t understand...” He says quietly after a moment or two. “If you are engaged, then why—“

“Because I don’t want to marry him!” It feels good to say this to someone that can actually side with her. “I knew there could be nothing between him and I, and now I am certain of it.” Another silence as both of them feel crushed under the weight of the words left unsaid.

“I am sorry... I have to go...” She turns away from him.

“Wait! Will I ever see you again?”

“No... I am sorry but you can’t.” She feels the tears pooling up in her eyes. “It is better if we don’t see each other, ever.” She starts walking away, feeling a tear falling down.

“ _Princess Ursa_!”

She freezes in her tracks, caught off guard as she turns to face him. “How did you...”

He chuckles dryly. “I didn’t. I just made a guess...” He blinks a couplenof times, trying to register everything. “So it is true...”

“Yes, it is.” Ursa whispers, defeated. “I am sorry for lying about who I was. I shouldn’t have ever come here. None of this should’ve ever happened.” She shakes her head slightly, but she knows that she doesn’t really regret it.

He bows down in front of her respectfully. “My Princess,” He says slowly. “Forgive me for any disrespectful thing I might’ve said and done today.”

This time it is Ursa’s turn to chuckle, despite how unhappy she feels. “You did nothing you should apologize for. And please, call me Ursa.” She doesn’t know why she is saying this.

_Ursa_...  He finds that he likes her real name much better.

“Does that mean I will be able to see you again?” He tries his luck again, hopeful.

Ursa bites her lip, feeling conflicted. She ought to say no, but he already knows everything, and she seems to not bring herself to say it.

She realizes with terror that she is  _falling for him_. How could she not, after the events of the day?

“Maybe.” She whispers, daring to feel hope. “Until then...” She walks up to him and places a quick kiss on his lips. 

It is nothing like the passionate moment they have just shared, but it still makes butterflies flutter in her stomach.

As she turns her back and leaves him, there is only one thought in her head. She will convince her father, because she knows in her heart that it has to be _him_.  Only that way she can be happy.  _It will be either Ozai or no one at all.._


	6. Day 1: Spirit/Spirited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ursa has to plan the school dance while crushing on the school's notorious bachelor, Ozai.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the long overdue prompt for day one. I had actually started writing this, but I wasn’t able to finish it in time, so I just started the week the week of day two. And now, I am one day late for the last day’s prompt, and I thought, “hey since I am already late, why should I not post this one before the last chapter?” And that is what I am doing, and I will post the last chapter tomorrow.
> 
> As for the prompt, I really struggled with it, since I didn’t want to go with the most obvious route of actual spirits. Then I thought of spirit weeks in schools, and then I thought of school dances. So yeah, this is basically a high school AU, since I am a sucker for AUs and there isn’t any high school AU for this ship as far as I am aware. Is it super cliche? Yeah, but I had fun writing it. Maybe one day I can develop it into a full story.

The duty to find a theme and make decorations for the school dance has just been given to the drama club this year, and Ursa, the club president, is freaking out about it.

“...and I have less then a week to come up with something!” She tells everything to her best friend Kya, who is desparetly trying to calm her down.

“I know you can figure out something, I believe in you.” Kya says soothingly, trying her best to help her out. They have been sitting at a table in the school library for the last half an hour.

“No, this is going to be the lamest party ever.” She sighs, burying her face into her hands. The fact that the school’s biggest benefactor will be attending to the dance does not help to reduce the pressure on her either. They need to impress him, so that he will continue giving money to the school. This may just be the end of her scholarship if she fails, her principal would make sure of that.

Her eyes dart over to the door when she sees a certain black haired boy enter through it. He walks elegantly and poised as if he had been trained to do so,  perhaps he had,  as he approaches the librarian to give back a book he had apparently borrowed.

She realizes she is staring only when Kya pokes her, an amused look on her face. “Crushing much?” 

Ursa scoffs, trying to hide her embarassment that she has just got caught. “Not my type.”

“Liar.” Kya accuses. “Every girl in the school has a crush on Ozai.”

Ursa rolls her eyes, her cheeks pink. “Including you?” She asks as an attempt to change the subject.

“Well, every girl except me, then. You know I am already taken.” She is dating Hakoda, the captain of the football team.

“Fine, sure he is handsome, but I am definitely not crushing —“ She lowers her voice, realizing that she was speaking a bit loudly before, when some heads, including  his,  turn to look at her. She can swear that she saw a smirk go across his face. She feels her face getting redder. “ _I am definitely not crushing on Ozai_. ” She concludes her sentence weakly.

But she knows it is not true, she has been crushing on him since the start of the year. And of course, he probably has no idea that she even exists. Why would he? He is the richest kid in school, always surrounded by girls, though he seems to not show any particular interest to any of them,  _ and Ursa hates herself for noticing that.  _ Why would he even think twice about a girl who manages to afford this school only with a scholarship?  _ And now she has to impress his father to even be able to keep that. _

Azulon, the father of Ozai and his older brother Iroh, who is now a senior, is the owner of the biggest company in the city. And of course, he the biggest provider of this elite school he sends his two sons to. If he deems it unworthy, he will certainly send them to another school, cutting off his donations, and off to her small town Ursa goes, since she would be responsible for it.

...

The days passed and Ursa still has no idea, she is sitting in the dorm room while everyone else is asleep, leaned over a piece of paper, scrabbling out the umpteenth idea from the now unreadable piece of paper.

Then suddenly it hits her. She jumps up from her chair in excitement and runs up to Kya’s bed, shaking her friend’s shoulder.

“What...?” Kya murmurs sleepily, eyes still closed. 

“I found it, Kya, I found it!” Ursa says excitedly, trying to keep her voice down to not wake up the others. “I found the theme for the dance!”

“And what is it?” Kya asks, a bit more awake now, still not really being able to concentrate on her words.

“Spirits.”

...

They spend the next few days decorating the school’s gym to look like a fancy ballroom, and she is happy that everyone else in the club is providing great help. With them, the preparations are done in the matter of two days. And then, Kya and her start working on their costumes. Everything is handmade, of course. And they have a lot of fun decorating their accessories and cutting up pieces of fabric to make the details of their robes.

They rename the gym as the “Spirit World”, and the inside looks absolutely mystical that she is stunned by the good work her team has made. 

The only thing that bums out Ursa is that she has to go to the dance without a partner. When she asks Kya if they should go together, she declares that she will be going with Hakoda, and jokingly suggests that she should ask Ozai. Ursa only laughs at that.

Of course she wouldn’t ask Ozai out. Best case scenario, he would pretend he didn’t hear it; worst case scenario, he would laugh at her. When she asks Hakoda about him nonchalantly, he says that Ozai is the most cold hearted jerk he has ever seen, that he hasn’t seen an emotion other than disdain and anger on her face. He says that Ursa would be better off without him, Kya however, encourages her friend’s not so little crush.

Still, Ursa doesn’t have the courage to actually do it, so at the night of the dance, she stands at the gate that leads to the gym all alone, taking a deep breath before she steps inside.

...

“I don’t even know why we have to attend this stupid dance anyways.” Ozai sulks, sitting at one of the neatly decorated tables.

“Because our father wants us to. Besides it is fun! Come on, Ozai, loosen up a little.” His brother, Iroh, says cheerfully.

Ozai sighs, finding this endevour highly boring. He looks around the room, he has to admit that it is decorated nicely, and most people seem to dress well enough for the occasion. He spots a boy and a girl in talking in the corner, dressed up as the moon and the ocean spirits. He recognizes the boy as Hakoda, but doesn’t quite manage to identify the girl.

Watching their flirting is boring, so he moves his eyes away, as a figure appears at the doors. She is dressed entirely in white, except for her long black hair and the red markings on her face and shoulders, the skirts of her gown are trailing behind her as she walks, making her seem like she is floating in the air. He can’t help but stare. He feels like he has seen her around before.

Iroh takes notice and teases his brother lightly. “Quite a pretty girl, isn’t she?”

Ozai snorts, trying to hide his embarassment. “She is alright.”

“Just alright? Is that why you are staring?” 

“I am just admiring her costume.” He replies grumpily, though he has no idea about what spirit she is supposed to be. The costume is actually fine, it seems nicely made and it compliments her physique well, but he is sure that he wouldn’t even give it another look if it wasn’t for the girl wearing it.

“I am sure you are. The Painted Lady is an important spirit for many people after all.” Iroh says, and the sarcastic tone of his voice doesn’t go unnoticed by Ozai, he knows that his younger brother had no idea about the identity of the spirit. Iroh has always been the one to be interested in these sort of things.

Ozai doesn’t respond, ignoring Iroh’s teasing as his eyes spot the girl again, she is talking to Hakoda and his date over there.

...

“I think Ozai is looking at you.” Kya whispers to her friend with a playful smile, and Ursa immedietly blushes as she turns her head to look, their eyes meeting for a second as she hastily looks away.

“He is into you. Go and talk to him.” She gives Ursa a little push. “I won’t let my friend stand there alone for the entire night.”

“I am not alone.” Ursa protests. “You are here.”

“Uh... actually Hakoda was just about to ask me for a dance.”

“Was I?” He grunts a bit as Kya’s elbow meets the side of his stomach. “Oh, yeah, I was. Of course.”

He looks at Ursa apologetically as Kya practically drags him to the dance floor.

Ursa stands there alone, arms wrapped around herself, eyeing the room uncomfortably before her eyes once again lock onto the ones of the boy she is crushing on. But this time she doesn’t look away, even as she feels her cheeks heating up. From the amused glint in his eyes, she can tell that her blush is noticibly visible.

...

“How are you enjoying her costume?” Iroh asks, leaning in, with a smirk on his face.

“Just shut up, Iroh!” Ozai growls through gritted teeth, clearly flustered.

“Why don’t you ask her for a dance?” This girl might exactly be what is needed to soften Ozai’s harsh nature.

“Why don’t you keep your ideas to yourself?” He knows he is acting childish, but he doesn’t want to give Iroh the satisfaction of being right about him being clearly affected by the girl.

“No need to be so harsh, Ozai.” Iroh tells him. “I am just saying.”

Ozai rolls his eyes a bit but then sighs, resigned. “Fine, I will. But just to make you shut up about it.”

...

Ursa’s eyes widen as she sees him walking towards her. “Hi...” She says nervously.

“You seem a bit bored. Did your friends leave you here all alone?” 

“No.. Well, kind of. They are dancing out here.” She says quietly, pointing at the dance floor. 

“Maybe you would like to dance as well?” He suggests, holding out a hand.

Ursa looks at him, dumbfounded. It is already strange that he is talking with her, and now he is asking her for a dance?

“You... you want to dance with me?” She stammers, feeling so dumb.

“Only if you want to.” His voice is soft but strong at the same time. He smirks a bit as she reluctantly takes his hand.

She lets him lead her to the dance floor, and feels her heart leap out of her chest as she hears a slow song start.

“I actually can’t dance very well...” She mutters, a little embarassed.

Ozai places his hands on her waist and leans in to whisper. “It is fine. Just follow my lead.” He looks over to the DJ booth and is suprised to see Iroh there, talking to the boy. He lifts his hand to give Ozai a thumbs up, and Ozai just frowns.  _Of course Iroh is behind this_.

“Is there something wrong?” Ursa asks hesitantly, noticing his face.

“No, nothing.” Ozai shakes his head slightly, turning his attention back at Ursa. “Just my brother.”

They start swaying with the music as Ursa puts her arms around his neck, feeling incredibly awkward. She uncomfortably shifts beneath the gazes of everyone in the room.

“Is it just me, or is everyone staring at us?” She whispers to him.

“No, it’s not just you. They  are  staring. Must be because of your beauty.” He leans in to whisper back, smirking.

She blushes deeply, and hopes that he didn’t notice it in the dim lighting of the room.

“I never had a chance to ask your name.” He says after a minute or two of silence.

“It’s Ursa.”

“Pretty name.” He muses. “It suits you.”

“Thanks...” She doesn’t really know why he is complimenting her, or why he started talking to her in the first place. But she is not complaining.

They stay silent until the end of the dance, and she wonders if he can feel how fast her heart is beating against his chest.

They pull away when the song stops, and she feels like the room is spinning. She had thought that dancing with Ozai in front of everyone was something she could only dream of.

“All this noise is giving me a headache.” He says to her. “Would you like to take a walk outside?

...

“Wait, did you really made all of these yourself?” He asks shocked, after she tells him that she was the one that came up with the theme and decoration.

“Well, not completely on my own. I had great help, but yeah, essentially it was my idea.” They have been talking for some time now, and she is starting to feel more comfortable around him.

“Everything looks pretty good.” He tells her. “I don’t usually like school dances, but you made this one tolarable.”

She smiles as her cheeks become slightly pink again. “Well, you certainly made my night better too.” She finds herself saying. “I hope it will be enough to impress your father as well...”

“My father?” He asks curiosly.

“Yeah... My scholarship kind of depends on your father’s approval...” She regrets saying it, as soon as the words leave her mouth.  _ What if he feels like she is using him? _

“I am sure he will be really impressed.” He reassures her. “And if not, I am sure I can convince him.”

“Thank you, but you don’t have to... Really. I don’t want you to think that this is why I am talking to you.”

“It’s okay, I want to help. And don’t worry, I know that is not the reason. It is clearly evident from your constant blushing.” He smirks as she blushes deeper.

“You are being so nice to me...” She murmurs after a few minutes. “You are not actually uptight and mean like people say you are...”

“People say that?” He asks, but doesn’t really look angry, he is more entertained than annoyed. “What else those  _ people  _ say about me?”

She bites her lip, debating if she should say it or not.  _ Oh well, what has she got to lose?  _ “That you have a reputation with girls...” She says as her voice becomes quieter. “That you don’t really care about their feelings...”

“Do I look like I don’t care about your feelings right now?” He asks in a whisper, turning her around to make her look at him.

“No... It’s just that...” She sighs trailing off. “I mean, who am I that you would care about _me_? I am just an insignificant girl...”

He cuts her off by leaning down and kissing her on the lips. He is being especially gentle, she can tell. His lips are smooth against hers, he smells like expensive cologne, a pleasant mixture between sweet and spicy. His hair is silky under her fingertips as she wraps her arms around his neck.

She can’t believe this is really happening. This moment that she has dreamed of for so long, has finally become a reality.  _ And it is even better than anything she ever imagined. _

Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she is angry at herself for being swayed off her feet so easily, by a few kind words and a handsome face, but she pushes that thought away. _ It doesn’t matter right now. _

It doesn’t matter if all of this will be forgotten tomorrow, it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t even remember her name, it doesn’t even matter if she loses her scholarship. The world is frozen, and for the time being, she is perfectly happy where she is, and  _ who _ she is with. 


	7. Day 7: Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ursa never believes in foolish ghost stories, until she meets a mysterious man living alone in the woods, that is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, two days late, but here is the last prompt of the week. And if I have to be honest, I had way too much fun writing this that I kind of want to make this into a full AU. I hadn’t expected that most of these chapters I wrote would turn out as AUs, but oh well. 
> 
> Today’s prompt was monster, and since it was supposed to be posted on Halloween, I decided to take it literally and make it into a vampire AU, because I recently rewatched Dracula on Netflix, and I was loosely inspired by it. So yeah, I hope you enjoy it!

Ursa has heard stories about the forest, like everyone else living in her town. About how no one must go there after the sun sets, how those who did were never seen again. Though she has always discarded those as just, well, stories, she has still acted accordingly to them just for the sake of her poor mother, who has always warned her about staying away from the forest after dark. 

Up until now that is...

She doesn’t even realize that it is starting to get dark until it is too late. The sun is about to set, and there is no way she can manage to return home before it does. Even though she doesn’t believe the stories, she actually finds herself wishing that she had paid attention to them.

The bright and peaceful forest that she went for a little walk starts to seem more ominous and threatening as the sunlight rapidly disappears. The trees that provided shade from the burning rays of the sun during the day start to appear like tall and disturbing silhouttes, their branches like long and bony fingers of a hand, the flowers she was picking just a few hours earlier look bleak and dead now, their bright colors drained in the absence of light.

And it is increasingly getting colder. She wraps her arms around herself as a wind picks up. It is completely dark now.

_Ursa_... 

She looks back as she feels like someone whispering her name. There is no one there. But she can swear that she heard it.  _ It must be the wind.  _ She feels like she is going crazy because of all those stupid stories.

_Ursa_...

Here it is again! She is sure that she heard it this time.  _ The wind is whispering her name. _

She wants to turn back and run as fast as she can towards her home, but her legs seem to move without her will, in the opposite direction. She can’t help it. It is like she is in a trance, like she is trapped inside her body and it is  _ terrifying _ .

The noises she hears of some nocturnal animals that she can’t exactly identify, sends shivers down her spine, but for some reason that is unknown to her, she still continues to walk deeper into the forest.

She finally snaps out of it, only to realize that she has gone too far to return home. She doesn’t even know where she had come from, and she can’t see anything. It is pitch black.

She feels tears start to fill her eyes. She is lost, with no chance of returning back until morning. She is scared, cold. How is she supposed to spend the night here, without being attacked by some wild animal, or worse...

_ What if the stories are true? What if she is going to disappear to never be seen again as well? _

She falls down to the ground, the earth cold and hard under her. She starts to cry as she wraps her arms around her knees. She will die here.

_Ursa_...

She lifts her heas as she hears the voice again. She refuses to believe that it is anything but her imagination. _ Once again no one is here.  _

But the voice feels louder this time, more real, as if it is coming from somewhere near, and she is too deep into this mess to care about it anyway. So she starts to follow it again, this time willingly. It gets louder with each step she takes.

And then there is slience. She can’t even hear the wind or the rustling of the leaves. It is so silent that it is deafening. The air is heavy, it feels like it is sucking the life out of every living thing around here. She feels faint, her ears are ringing, she is seeing everything around her blurry and white. 

_ No, it is not her.  _

This part of the forest is entirely covered in a thick, white mist.  _ How did she not notice it before? _

It feels as if the mist is poisonous, she fells on her knees as she feels like she can’t breathe. But then through the mist, a house appears. No, not a house. It is a huge mansion that seems to be abandoned for years.  _ Was it always there? _

It is old, most windows are shattered, the paint and the boards are stripped in some places, a few bricks from the roof are on the ground. But its doors are open, and it is the most beautiful sight she has seen since she got lost.

It gives her hope. No matter how run-down and abandoned it is, it can still provide her shelter, and safety from the animals, for the night. So she just uses the last bit of her energy to crawl towards it.

Once she is inside, she shuts the door behind her back as she remains on all fours on the ground, coughing. She vaguely notices that the mist covering the area has not managed to enter inside the house, despite the open doors and the windows.

She starts to feel a lot better soon, and she is actually able to observe her surroundings. 

Despite how bad it looks from the outside, the inside of the mansion is not looking run-down at all. It is actually pretty lavish, dark red and gold dominate the entire hallway. It is almost overbearing. She wonders if the rest of the house looks like that as well.

She finally manages to get up from the ground and starts walking deeper into the house, her footsteps are echoing loudly on the marble floors under her feet. She lightly pushes the gold handle of an ornate door that she assumes to lead into the living room. The door opens with a loud creak.

_ She is terrified by what she sees. _

It isn’t because there is something horrifying inside the room. It is because of the fact that the room is not dark and dingy like she thought it would be. It is warm, and illuminated by candles. Small flames cast ominous shadows on the walls.

Lit up candles.  _ There is someone living here. _

“What are you doing in my house?”

Ursa literally jumps when she hears a voice coming from the shadows. It isn’t harsh or threatening. This voice that seems to belong to a man, is actually very smooth and inviting.

“I— I am so sorry...” Her voice is shaking as she doesn’t know where to look to adress him. “I got lost. I didn’t know someone was living here...”

“I see...” The voice sounds amused, she can hear him smiling.

She swallows heavily. “I didn’t mean to disturb you. I will leave now.”

“No, you won’t.” A man comes out of the shadows, he is pale, so pale that he almost doesn’t look alive, his sunken eyes doesn’t really help with the effect either. The flames of the candles make the already sharp features of his face seem sharper. His black hair is creating the perfect contrast with the whiteness of his skin. His eyes, the eyes that burn the same color as the flames, is the only part of him that feels alive. That, and the smirk plastered across his lips.

Despite his cold, dead aura,  _ he is very attractive. _

“You are not going anywhere.” He speaks in a tone that is firm but not commanding. And Ursa doesn’t know if she is more scared of this strange man, or the idea of spending the night alone in the forest.

“What kind of a host would I be, if I just let my pretty visitor go back out there? The forest is not safe for you at this hour.” He takes a few steps towards her and she can feel her heart beat faster. Something she sees in his eyes makes her feel like he can feel that too. 

“So you heard about the stories too?” It takes her some time to be able to speak again, and these are the words that she manages to choke out.

“Stories?” He asks, intrigued.

“Yes, about people disappearing in the forest at night.” It brings another question to her mind. “Why are you living here? If you think it is dangerous.”

He chuckles, it echoes in the room and she feels it vibrating in her spine. “I said that it is dangerous for you.”

Something in his tone makes her shiver, the hairs behind her neck stand up. “T-Thank you for your hospitality, sir—“

“Ozai.” He cuts her off. “You can call me Ozai.”

“Thank you for your hospitality,  _ Ozai _ ,” the name just rolls off her tongue, and she finds herself wanting to say it again. “but I really should go.”

“Stay. I insist.” He sounds almost seductive. “Are you really rude enough to take away the pleasure of your company from a man who has not  _ had a human  _ in such a long time?”

His choice of words make goosebumps appear on her skin, but she pushes the thought away, choosing to believe that he is just an eccentric man who doesn’t really come into contact with actual people often.

He sees her hesitation and tries again, approaching closer to her. “Will you stay?” 

For some reason, she has expected him to be cold, but he actually radiates heat. It is oddly comforting, and she finds herself nodding without even realizing.

There is almost no space in between them now, his lips brush against her ear as he leans in. “Good.” He whispers before pulling away as fast as he’s come, leaving her wanting more.

“I’ll show you your room.” He turns his back and walks out, moving too graceful and perfect to be real, but she doesn’t dwell on that as she tries to remember how to walk again. Her legs are shaking, but she doesn’t lie to herself by saying that it is because of fear.

She manages to follow him up the huge staircase. He doesn’t seem to be tired at all when they reach the top of it, while she is breathless.

He stands in front of a door, and vaguely motions at it with his hand. “You can stay there tonight.” 

She nods as she reaches for the handle, opening the door slowly.

The room is bigger than any bedroom she has ever seen in her entire life. It is almost bigger than her house. The bedroom is also colored in red and gold like the rest of the house. The tall walls that are rising in front of her are covered by dark wood panelling, there is a desk leaning against one of them, a velvet sofa against another. The towering windows that look outside are expecting to be covered by the thick, red drapes. She idly notices that the windows are not shattered. 

In the middle of the room, there is a huge bed. Silk sheets are covering it’s seemingly very comfortable mattress. It is five times the size of her bed at home.

“This room is—“ She turns to look at him, only to find out that he is no longer there. There aren’t any more rooms in this part of the hallway, so she walks over to the staircase, but can’t see him going downstairs.  _ How did he disappear so fast? _

Maybe she actually spent more time observing the room than she thought she did.

She shakes her head and walks inside, everything will be fine. She has no reason to be scared. The man,  _Ozai_ ,  has been really kind to her so far.  _ Why should she worry at all? _

She closes the door behind her and reaches over to the lock, but there is no key. It makes her slightly uncomfortable. She feels exposed.

She pushes the thought away and walks over to the bed, feeling exhausted all of a sudden. She assumes it is normal that she would feel tired the moment she reaches somewhere safe, after all the things she went through tonight.

A voice from deep within her mind whispers her words of reassurance. She feels safe, secure.

She sits on the bed, almost sinks into it because of how soft it is. The silk is smooth and cold against her palms as she spreads her hands on it. Sleep comes easier to her than it ever has before, the feeling of Ozai’s lips against her ear is the last thing on her mind as she falls asleep under the slick covers.

In her dream, she is still on the bed, as she hears the bedroom door open slowly. She holds her breath as she realizes it is  _ him  _ who is behind it. 

He walks over to her silently, as she feels hypnotized, unable to move even a single muscle. She feels strongs hands grabbing her waist, pinning her down. His lips meet her neck, as she feels a burning sensation on it. Every place on her body that his hands or lips touch burns. 

He gently holds her jaw in place, kissing her neck, and she bites her bottom lip hard, trying to stifle a moan that is trying to escape her, as he bites the tender flesh. 

“ _Ozai_...”  She finds herself breathing out his name, and she can feel him smile against her neck.

With no effort at all, he is on top of her, and she feels like she is melting under him. His hands are untying the sash of her robe as his other hand brushes against her inner thigh.

She doesn’t know what it is about him, but everything he does, make her body beg for more. She has never felt like this before.

She is not able to stay silent as his hand squeezes her breast and then moves along her stomach.

“Please...” She moans breathlessly. “...don’t stop...”

His lips move from her neck to her lips, and she tastes copper.

She jolts awake, breathing heavily. Of course, _there is no one in her room._ The disappointment washes over her as she realizes that, she still feels the throbbing ache between her legs.

She sighs, pushing her hair away from her sweat covered forehead. She wants to wash her face, but the moment she stands up, she falls back down on the bed, feeling dizzy. She feels weak, and not really like as if she had a good night’s rest.

So she lies back down, but she can’t manage to fall asleep. She tosses and turns on the bed, not being able to think anything else but her dream, how good it felt to have him pressed against her. She wants to feel the same way again.

With the first rays of the morning sun, she gets out of the bed, holding onto the bedside table as the entire world spins around her. It feels like her entire body is in pain. Her muscles are sore, her bones ache, and her neck hurts.

She wants to see Ozai again, and thank him for letting her stay at his house, before she leaves. She finds him sitting on one of the sofas in the living room, she notices that the curtains are drawn. She also notices that he looks different...

He is the same man, but also different somehow. He looks almost _younger_ , more alive. His skin more like a healthy white, instead of the paper white of yesterday, his eyes are less sunken. He looks rejuvenated and more energetic, as she feels like she looks even worse than she did yesterday.

He lifts up his head to look at her, before she even walks into the room. “Did you sleep well last night?”

The entertained look in his eyes makes her feel like he  _knows_.  But how could he? Was she talking in her sleep?

“Yes, everything was really nice...” She says quietly, feeling the blood rush over to her cheeks.

The amused expression of his eyes change momentarily, and she could swear she saw something wilder and more...  _ predatory _ there, but it goes away as quick as it appeared.

“I am happy to hear that.” He smirks.

“I just wanted to thank you for letting me stay.” She manages to say finally, after a few seconds of silence. “But I should be going now.”

“So soon?” He almost sounds disappointed. “You should stay for breakfast.”

“Thank you, but I can’t. My mother must be worried sick.” She needs to go, she won’t be influenced by his presence anymore.

She turns her back to leave the room, but her body betrays her as the world starts to spin again. She feels him hold her to prevent her from falling.  _ Wasn’t he sitting down on the sofa? _

He continues holding her, and he is so close that she should be able to feel his heartbeat.  _ Then why can’t she?  _

“I can’t let you go out on your own in this condition.” His voice is silky, tempting. “Stay another day, until you feel better.”

She wants to say that she is fine, but words don’t come out. Instead she just nods, giving in.

He lifts her up as if she has no weight and gently places her on the sofa, and she silently wishes him to climb on top of her like he did in her dream, but he doesn’t. Instead, he disappears into another room, coming back with something to eat for her.  
  


”Here you go, Ursa.” He says as he places a gold tray on the small table in front of the sofa.

”Thanks...” She starts but then her eyes widen as she realizes. “How do you know my name? I never told it.”

Ozai chuckles slightly. “Of course you did. Don't you remember?”  
  


”I... did..?” She is starting to feel confused, maybe she did tell him. She can’t remember, her head hurts.

”Yes, you did. How else would I know it?” His voice is soothing, and if he is saying it, then it must be true.   
  


He sits next to her as she starts to eat, but it doesn’t escape her that he doesn’t take a single bite out of any food.

“Won’t you eat?” She asks quietly.

“No, I already did.”

...

She doesn’t understand how, but days pass with the same routine. Every night, she dreams of him, every morning she wakes up weaker than the day before, every day he makes up another excuse for her to stay, and every time she accepts his offer.

She starts eating less and less, losing her appetite. She notices that she has lost weight, her skin is almost as pale as his was when she first saw him. She looks and feels as if her blood is drained from her body. Her lips are no longer red, her eyes no longer shining with life. She feels like she is dying, while Ozai is getting stronger each passing day.

Deep inside, her subconscious already knows what her logical mind can’t even begin to comprehend. She observes her ghostly figure in her bedroom mirror, it is the only one she has seen around the house, and for the first time she notices the two small punctures on her neck, beginning to realize. She tries to deny it, because it is ridiculous, and she refuses to believe anything but logic. And yet, she knows. He is the reason why all those people never returned. She doesn’t know how, _but he_ __is_ killing her. _

She is barely the shell of a girl she used to be, now. But she confronts him with the last bit of her remaining strenght.

“What are you?” She is too weak to even be scared anymore. She is not even sure if she can feel fear. Or anything, for the matter.

The man, no,  the monster,  laughs. “So you’ve finally figured it out? I have to admit, you are smarter than the others.”

“Why did you kill them?  Why are you killing _me_ ?” She asks, her voice barely a whisper. 

“It is not a choice.” Ozai responds dryly. “I have to feed upon the living to survive. And I had been  _ starving _ , thanks to the stupid ghost stories your people tell.” He sounds angry for a moment, but then his voice softens as he walks over to her. “And I want you to know that killing you is the thing I regret most in my life.”

She doesn’t understand the meaning of his words, or the implication that he is, in fact, _not alive,_ they are just words to her foggy mind. “Then just let me go...” She knows she wouldn’t make it, but she doesn’t want to die like a bird trapped in a cage. A beautiful one, but a cage nonetheless.

“And then what? I can’t let you tell stories about a monster that lives on the blood of unsuspecting humans.” He holds her chin and makes her look at him, one arm wrapped around her waist to keep her from collapsing.

_Is that what he has been doing? Drinking her blood?_ “I won’t tell anyone...”

He chuckles bitterly. “Of yourse you will. That is exactly why I can’t allow that. The stories are getting uncomfortably closer to the truth each day already.”

“I don’t want to die...” Tears start falling down her face as she realizes that this is actually happening. She is actually going to die. The fear returns, and she is glad that she is at least feeling  _something_.

He looks genuinely sad, regretful, as he looks at her. “I am sorry that it has to be this way.” And he does really sound sorry that she almost wants to tell him it’s not his fault.  _ What a stupid idea, he is the one who did this to her.  _ But then his eyes light up with a new idea. “ _Unless_...” He thinks for a moment, looking like he is debating on if he should say it nor not. “If you want to live that much, then you would certainly accept what I have to offer.”

“What is it?” Her voice is coming out in breaths, she feels like she is minutes away from passing out.

“ _Eternal life._ ” His lips are brushing against her own. “It is not something I offer to many, and if you say yes, you will never feel weak again.” His body is pressing into hers. “Never sick again.” He kisses her and then pulls away before actually letting her enjoy it.

“You can remain by my side forever...” He kisses her jawbone, moving up towards her ear. “As my bride, my _equal_...”

He places a kiss against her neck, lips hot against her icy, almost lifeless skin. “Do you agree?”

She doesn’t feel like she could say no even if she wanted to. She wants to live. She wants to be with him. She wants  _him_.  “Yes...”

She doesn’t even know what she is accepting, what it means to be like him, what will that bring to her, and what will it take away from her. All she knows is that she wants him, and _only him_.

He smirks against her neck, and the next thing she knows is a burning pain as two sharp teeth break through the thin skin. She wants to scream, but the pain is so unbearable that she is frozen. It is the worst pain she has ever felt before, her entire body is burning, but numb at the same time. She is feeling everything way too much but also not at all. _Is this what death feels like?_ She feels her conscioussness slip away as he is draining her, but he stops right before the world goes completely black.

When he does, she sees two fangs that were not there before, covered in blood. It is dripping from the corner of his mouth. She is irked by how much she wants to lick it.

He pulls away, and bites into his own wrist, razor sharp teeth cutting into the skin as if it was mere paper. He reaches his wrist out to her as blood starts pooling.

“Drink.”

She hesitates for a second, before instinctively grabbing his wrist and burying her face into it. The metallic taste fills her mouth as she revels in the feeling it gives her. She is feeling alive again, in fact, she has never been more alive before. The taste of blood doesn’t disgust her as she thought it woul _d. She is disturbed by how much she lik_ es it. It is intoxicating, almost _sensual._

She doesn’t know how long she has been doing it, but eventually, she feels her eyelids getting  
heavier. It becomes harder and harder to keep them open.

The last thing she feels is him picking her up and taking her upstairs, putting her on the bed, before her eyes close.


End file.
